1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscopic apparatus for thermal distribution monitoring, and more particularly, to an endoscopic apparatus for thermal distribution monitoring that is capable of providing a functional image in which various images such as a real image and a thermal image, are matched to one another.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A thermal distribution monitoring is a technology, whereby a photon in a band of infrared (IR) rays emitted from a surface of an object is collected by using an infrared image sensor and then is analyzed to acquire information about thermal distribution. The thermal distribution monitoring technology is used not only to do early diagnosis for quickly detecting carrier suspects when an acute infectious disease (ex. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), etc.) occurs, but also to do a screening test on local part lesion (ex. rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud syndrome, breast cancer, etc.) in a medical field. Also, the thermal distribution monitoring technology is widely used in structure safety diagnosis or a non-destructive quality test, etc. in an industrial field.
However, because a conventional thermal image apparatus uses large-area information acquired from the surface of the object, accuracy of diagnosis is lowered, and a thermal image system probe structure is bulky such that a diagnosis part is limited. Also, there are limitations in acquiring thermal distribution information inside a human body, such as the inside of an ear, the inside of noise, the inside of the abdominal cavity, etc.
Meanwhile, because edema, bleeding, etc. are diagnosed by the naked eye by using a laryngoscope (throat), an otoscope (ear), and an ophthalmoscope (eye), etc. in an ear-nose-throat (ENT) clinic and an ophthalmic clinic, etc., the result of diagnosis may vary according to an inspector's subjective opinion. A thermal image monitoring function is added to an apparatus having an endoscopic shape that is capable of acquiring information about a cavity (ex. the inside of an ear, the inside of noise, the larynx, the abdominal cavity, etc.) inside the human body such that a real image and a thermal image can be simultaneously observed and thus more objective and precise diagnosis can be carried out.